Clothes-line.



J. G. TRGUT.

CLOTHES LINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. 1915.

. 1,169,522, Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

d LC) 0 )1- 3 9 i n I o m J C- TROUT UTT JOHN CLYDE TROUT, OE OAKDALE, TENNESSEE.

CLOTHES-LINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1&16.

Application filed March 29, 1915. Serial No. 17,845.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN CLYDE Tao-n1, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakdale, in the county of Morgan and State of Tennessee, havev invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes- Lines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved clothes line and has for its primary object to provide a resilient length of wire having portions twisted upon each other and between which the articles are adapted to be engaged.

The invention has for a more particular object to provide a clothes line including a plurality of sections each consisting of a length of wire bent upon itself and having portions spirally twisted upon each other, one of said portions being provided with means at its opposite ends to facilitate the easy and quick engagement of the articles between the spirally twisted portions of the wire.

It is an additional object of my invention to produce a metallic clothes line which is simple and durable in its construction, highly convenient and serviceable for the purposes in view, and which may be pro duced at comparatively small manufacturing cost.

lVith the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described. claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a clothes line embodying the present invention; Fig. 2- is a top plan view; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one end of one of the line sections.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates generally the links or sections of the clothes line, each of which is constructed from a single length of wire having the requisite inherent resiliency and of a suitable gage, said wire being preferably galvanized to prevent rusting thereof. This wire is bent upon itself, intermediate of its ends, to provide two strands, indicated by the numerals 6 and 7, respectively, and at the central bend in the same, the same is formed with an eye 8, and adjacent thereto the two strands of the wire are tightly a metal clothes line consisting oftwisted upon each other, as at 9. From this twist, the wire strand 7 is offset at right angles to the strand 6, as shown at 10, and then longitudinally extended to provide an elongated loop 11. The wire strand is re turned from the inner end of the loop and then bent upon itself to form an obliquely inclined tongue 12. From such obliquely inclined tongue, the wire strand 7 is then turned around the other strand 6, or in other words, the two strands of wire are spirally twisted upon each other, as shown at 13, such spiral twist being relatively long so that the wire strands will yield under the pressure of an article inserted between the same. The central portions of the two strands 6 and 7 are tightly twisted upon each other, as shown at 14, so that the inward movement of an article between the spirally twisted portions of the wire from opposite ends of the link or line section is limited. At the opposite end of the line section, the wire strand 7 is bent to provide a second guide tongue 12- and longitudinally extending loop 13 which are identical in form and construction to the corresponding portions formed on the other end of said wire strand. At the outer end of this latter loop 13, the extremity of the wire is tightly twisted or coiled upon the returned end portion of the other wire strand 6, as clearly shown at 15. This returned end of the strand 6 is disposed through the eye 8 of the next adjacent section of the clothes line.

In the use of my invention, it will be understood that any desired number of the links or line sections may be connected together, and the end sections suitably held by a hook or nail upon a suitable stationary support. The articles of fabric are arranged upon the several line sections by inserting the same between the obliquely disposed guide tongue 12 and the wire strand 6 at one end of the line section and then forcing the same inwardly and between the spirally twisted portions 18 of the wire strands. These twisted portions of the wir being forced apart by the pressure of the articles upon the same, act to clampingly engage the fabric and securely hold. the same upon the line, whereby all liability of the same being blown therefrom by high winds may be overcome. The articles may be very easily and quickly removed from the wire line sections by simply reversing the movement of the article or forcing the I same outwardly to the end of the line section.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that I have produced a very simple, serviceable and durable clothes line construction upon which the articles may be very easily and quickly, as well as securely, arranged without necessitating the employment of pins or other retaining elements. It will, of course, be understood that the wire of which the clothes line sections are formed is sufficiently resilient to admit of the proper engagement of the articles between the spirally twisted portions of the wire without injury thereto while, at the same time, said articles will be securely clamped or held. The wire line sections may be very easily bent into the form shown, and in View of the extreme simplicity of the device, it will be appreciated that the same can be produced at comparatively small manufacturing cost.

While I have shown and described the preferred form and arrangement of the several structural features of my invention, it will, nevertheless, be understood that the same is susceptible of considerable modification therein, and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate Copies of thispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is A clothes line constructed from a length of resilient wire bent upon itself to form two strands, said strands being twisted adjacent the intermediate portion of the wire to form an eye, one of said strands being offset at right angles to the other, thence longitudinally extended to provide an elongated loop, said strand being thence returned from the inner end of the loop and bent upon itself to form an obliquely inclined tongue, said strand being then turned around the other strand to provide a spiral twist, the central portions of said strands being tightly twisted upon each other, the second strand having a returned end portion providing a loop, and the first strand having its end bent to provide. a second obliquely inclined guide tongue and its extremity tightly coiled upon the returned end portion of the second strand.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

JOHN CLYDE TROUT.

Washington, D. C. 

